U.S. Charges Salvador Guerrillas Get More Arms From Soviet Bloc

By LINDSEY GRUSON, Special to the New York Times

Published: March 17, 1989

SAN SALVADOR, March 16—
Senior United States officials here charged today that Cuba and Soviet-bloc countries had been upgrading the arsenal of the Salvadoran rebels to help them escalate their nine-year war against the American-backed Government.

The officials, who spoke on the condition that they not be identified, said there was a recent influx of large quantities of Soviet-made arms and ammunition, which they charged presumably were shipped through Nicaragua.

They said the shipments raised questions about the sincerity of recent peace initiatives by the Salvadoran rebels as well as the Nicaraguan Government's commitments to regional accords forbidding outside assistance to guerrilla groups. Frequent Accusations

In the past, there have been frequent accusations of Nicaraguan and Cuban aid to the Salvadoran rebels, who provided key help to the Sandinista revolution in Nicaragua. They have always been denied by Nicaraguan officials, who say they are committed to complying with the treaties.

It is extremely difficult to prove the charges or the denials. But guerrilla units in many parts of El Salvador for the first time are using Soviet-style AK-47 assault rifles.

The American charges, which are supported by Salvadoran commanders, coincided with a campaign to raise doubts about Sandinista willingness to comply with treaties they signed in the last two years and save the Nicaraguan rebels known as contras. AK-47 Rifles on Display

To bolster allegations of Nicaraguan arms shipments, United States officials today displayed several AK-47 rifles, among about 20 captured by the Salvadoran Army in recent weeks. The guns' markings, they said, proved that they were manufactured in the Eastern bloc.

The officials also showed off recently captured ammunition and shell casings stamped with the numbers 88 and 13. They said those numbers proved that the ammunition was made in 1988 at Cuban Ammunition Loading Factory No. 13.

''I cannot prove with any certainty that this stuff came in from Nicaragua,'' said a senior American official, who spoke on condition he would not be identified. ''But I can't think of too many other places it could be coming from.''

Rebel leaders have said they were buying the Soviet-style rifles on the Central American black market and that the weapons indirectly come from the contras, who received many shipments of AK-47s from the United States. But American officials said that they have traced the markings of the captured guns and that none were part of a contra shipment. No Shipments Intercepted

The Sandinistas, the staunchest allies of the Salvadoran guerrillas in the region, also use the AK-47. Although no shipments have been intercepted, Salvadoran commanders have charged that Nicaragua is shipping the guns.

American officials and Salvadoran commanders said the influx of weapons appeared to be part of an effort to escalate the war and arm the guerrillas in preparation for what the rebels hope will be an insurrection this year.

In recent days, with the approach of presidential elections to be held on Sunday, fighting has surged. The rebels have cut power to most of the country. In the capital of San Salvador, electricity and water are becoming a luxury.